[Gipfelsoli Newsletter] May 9th, Heiligendamm

Tue May 8 21:56:55 CEST 2007

- G8 summit / Utrecht(NL): last bicycle caravanist finally released after over
48 hours arrest
- Köpi in Berlin

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G8 summit / Utrecht(NL): last bicycle caravanist finally released after over 48
hours arrest

Pressrelease by the bicycle caavan info office in Rostock

Further information: Caravan info office Rostock ++49-176-28879588

After a surprising and completely unwarrented arrest of around 100 bicycle
activists and members of the "Gr8chaoskaravaan" western european anti G8 bike
caravan on Saturday the last arrestee was finally released last night.
Arrestees report of police violence and ill arrest conditions. Caravan protests
strongly against the disproportionate police action. Legal consequences for both
activists and police.

Last night the last of the 100 anti G8 bicycle activists who were arrested in
Utrecht (Netherlands) on Saturday was finally released after 48 hours in jail.
In what was obviously a prepared police operation, participants of the bicycle
caravan and supporters were arrested on Saturday while trying to leave the
city. The cylists where surprised when without prior warning a special unit and
horseback (beritten) police suddenly charged the bicycle ride with battons
drawn, one police van even driving right into the riders and hitting one
bicycle. The police then proceeded to arrest all members on the pretext of not
using the bicycle path. Bicycles were confiscated and removed with many being
damaged and locks broken. Demonstrators later reported that the police used
disproportional violence during the arrests.

Ill treatment continued during the arrest. For several hours the demonstrators
were detained in overcrowded cells - 25 people in a 4x4 m cell - where they
suffered from anoxia caused by lacking ventilation and were deprived of food.
While the first demonstrators were released during the night, a growing number
of reports about police intimidation came in. "They told us that what they had
done today was tolerant compared to what they would do if we continued to carry
out the actions we had planned" says Antje, a caravan participant.

The arrests were as surprising for the international member sof the caravan as
they were for the dutch activists. "It was a very unusual police action for
dutch circumstances" said Antje, dutch activist and caravan member. "I have
been doing bicycle actions for years and can't remember something like this
happening." Andree Narres from the info office of the bicycle caravans is
outraged: "I can't find any other plausible explanation than politics and
police doing what they can to prevent, harass and criminalise all protests even
ahead of the G8 summit." According to him the action may have been planned to
make the bicycle caravans entry into Germany harder. "The police didn't charge
the cyclists with the mere regulatory offence of not using the bicycle path but
of not obeying police orders, an offense that leads to a court hearing."

"We won't let them intimidate us", said Antje. Indeed several released members
of the caravan participated in the actions that had been planned together with
local activists for Sunday despite of the night-long and cumbersome arrests. In
nearby Zeist, around 60 people participated in an antiracist inspection of a
deportation camp and in Utrecht 50 people gathered infront of the police
headquarters for a loud protest demonstration. However, the caravan was unable
to maintain its original schedule and thus, the political groups in Nijmwegen,
who had planned to start their Anti-G8 action days together with the caravan
had to do so alone. On monday, a part of the caravan arrived in Nijmwegen and
joined local activists for a number of bicycle actions. After the release of
the last arrestee, the remaining caravan members who had stayed in Utrecht to
support the prisoners drove to Nijmwegen from where the caravan will leave
today.

Not only the arrestees will face legal consequences because of Saturdays events
in Utrecht. The legal team Utrecht together with many victims of the police
action wants to hold the police responsible for indiscriminate use of violence
and illegal arrest conditions. Also, the police faces charges of damaging
property for damaging bicycles and breaking locks.

Further material:
Video of Saturdays events in Utrecht:
http://www.indymedia.nl/nl/2007/05/44359.shtml

Reports about Monday 7th bicycle action in Nijmwegen:
http://dissentnetzwerk.org/wiki/Bicycle-Caravan_%22West%22:reports:2007-05-07

Gr8chaoskaravaan reports and infos:
http://dissentnetzwerk.org/wiki/Bicycle-Caravan_%22West%22

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Köpi in Berlin

hope you are sound and save.

maybe some of you know the köpi. it's a autonomous centre in berlin. the largest
one resisting self-organised since the beginning of the nineties, providing
diverse social resources and cultural possibilities to the public, being
recognised transnationally. these structures have been made up and looked after
in year long solidary efforts and fights, and are in its existence close
connected to the rooms and space in the köpenicker street 137/- 9 in berlin.

in the last days, we had to come to know with deep incomprehension and anger
that the ground in the köpi 137 and the neighbouring trolley place are going to
be snatched from its current use. only very short-termed became information
publicly, that the "commerzbank" (main debtee of the bankrupt owner since '95)
has applied for the forced sale at the "municipal court mitte" at the 8th of
may 2007 (8 a.m., littenstr. 12- 17).

about this plan, there was no attempt to come to a dialogue with the occupants
and friends of the köpi. this reveals the unsocial logic of profit of the
finance company and the absence of consciousness and tolerance of the
established political circle for the importance of these space for us.

this is not new but part of systematic suppression and destruction of
alternative projects and life here and everywhere by the globally escalating
commercialisation. in the urban plannings, upvaluation for
rates-of-return-oriented investments is getting more appreciation than the
social benefit of acceptance of open and self-organised projects and of
cultural diversity that needs to be placed in a modern society.

speculations around the puffed up "MediaSpree"- investment area is the main
cause of the actual threat to the köpi.

we demand willingness to cooperation for the continuity of the köpi and advise
against distorting the public discussion one-sided to the form of resistance
against the sale. we ask all people to challenge the moral validity of the sale
beside of gentrified property claims and to not leave out there the proportion
of the commerce to our alternative in the society. we claim the ending of the
sale proceeding and the stable acceptance of the self-administration of the
köpi137.

UPDATE 08.05.2007

so far so bad. köpi has been sold today. 835.000,- fucking ois
it is not clear who was clawing it, because the abbrevations have not been
clearly identified. in the moment there is a spontane demonstration going on.
massive pigs all around. allready several arrest takings. the nights may become
hot.

madhouse berlin

UPDATE 08.05.2007 16.30 H

Police assaults at the Heinrichplatz, Berlin - Kreuzberg. About 10 people
arrested, at least one Person heavyly wounded and in hospital. After the end of
the authorized Demonstration against the sale of the autonous house project KÖPI
in Berlin, Police attacked massivly the demonstrants at the Heinrichplatz in
Berlin - kreuzberg.

Without any obvious reason the police attacked the Demo and tried to pick out
Persons. This firstly was avoidable through a spontanous Solidarity and forming
of chains. Uponn this the Police reacted with a brutal attack with batons,
lashing about random people. The demonstrants closed up densely to a chain
around the banner flag to protect themsleves from the attacks. Around them the
Police was filming and formed up again and again. Attacks have been to expect
all the time, what made the call of the police to disband the demo absurde,
cause as soon the chain would be disbanded, it would have been a provocation to
the police to attack again, as well the Demo has already stopped before and
basically the people who were there just searched protection with amongest each
others. Always again the "grabbing-troops" of the cops went inside the chain to
pick our single persons and took them away.
At the margin of this the cops stormed the Café " Rote Harfe " and violated the
guests and the staff brutaly. After the owner of the Café at the beginning
denied access to the café for the cops, the stormed it with force and started
again to beat randomly around. 5 people arrested, one person got so heavyly
beaten up that he had to be taken, badly injured, to the hospital.
Who is evidence of this action, please write down a protocoll of memory and get
in touch with the EA,so that we can commence legal acts against the police
brutality. All in all there have been 10 arrests, some of them havebeen already
released.
Today evening are planned spontanous actions, get active - this night is our
night !!!

KÖPI STAYS !!!!

[indymedia: http://de.indymedia.org/2007/05/175898.shtml]